Sample answers · Repeat Sentence
PTE Repeat Sentence · Speaking section
PTE Repeat Sentence sample – Band 79 delivery.
A worked Repeat Sentence: the stimulus audio shown as text and marked with breath-group chunks, a chunk-by-chunk memory strategy, and a Band 79 trait breakdown across Content, Oral Fluency and Pronunciation. Repeat Sentence has 10 to 12 items per test, the highest count of any Speaking task.
Last verified 16 July 2026 · Written for PTE Academic post-August 2025 format · Verified against Pearson's July 2025 Score Guide.
The stimulus
You hear a 6.7 seconds sentence, one time only, with no visual on screen.
The department of marine biology has secured funding to expand its coral reef restoration programme along the northern coast.
Word count: 19 words · Delivered at ~165 wpm · Real-length example inside Pearson's 3 to 9 second audio window.
Chunked view · How to hold it in memory
Working-memory frameSame sentence, marked into 4 breath-group chunks.
Legend: // = one breath-group boundary. This is how a Band 79 listener silently divides the audio while it plays, so all four chunks stay live in working memory instead of only the last one.
Chunk-by-chunk memory hooks
What to hold, per chunk, while the audio plays.
| Chunk | Memory hook |
|---|---|
| The department of marine biology | 6 words. Subject noun phrase. "Marine biology" is the topical anchor – lock it first. |
| has secured funding | 3 words. Main verb and object. Present-perfect tense ("has secured"), not past simple. |
| to expand its coral reef restoration programme | 7 words. Infinitive purpose clause. "Coral reef restoration" is a 3-word compound – the hardest chunk to hold. |
| along the northern coast | 4 words. Prepositional location tag. Easy to lose if you rush the middle chunk – rehearse it while the audio plays. |
Delivery version · Band 79
Verbatim repetition, natural pace.
Delivered in 7.4 seconds at 154 wpm. Word-for-word match with the stimulus (Content 3/3). No hesitation before starting, single continuous take, brief natural pause after “biology” matching the source rhythm.
Timing plan
No prep window. Chunk while it plays, deliver immediately.
| Time | Stage | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 0s | Audio starts | The 3 to 9 second sentence begins playing. No visual, no chart, no prep window. Listen – do NOT try to write. |
| 0 to 6.7s | Chunk-and-hold | As you hear each breath group, silently rehearse the previous chunk. This keeps the whole sentence live in working memory instead of just the last few words. |
| 6.7s | Audio ends | The status box turns to 'Recording'. There is NO tone / beep on Repeat Sentence – the countdown ends and recording begins directly. |
| 6.7 to 8s | Deliver | Repeat the sentence at natural academic pace, 140 to 160 wpm. Continuous delivery – pause at commas only, do not restart. |
| ≥ 3s silence | Auto-stop | Recording auto-stops after 3 seconds of silence. Finish the sentence, hold for a second, and stop. |
Trait breakdown
What earned each trait score.
| Trait | Score | Why it scored there |
|---|---|---|
| Content | 3/3 | All 19 words repeated in the correct order, no substitutions, no omissions, no insertions. Content on Repeat Sentence is binary at the word level – every word is either right or wrong. |
| Oral Fluency | 5/5 | Natural academic pace at 155 wpm. Single continuous take with a brief pause after 'biology' matching the source rhythm. No restarts, no hesitations, no false starts. |
| Pronunciation | 4/5 | Clear vowel and consonant articulation on all content words. Deduct 1 for slightly compressed stress on the 3-word compound 'coral reef restoration' – a Band 90 delivery would stress each word cleanly. |
| Total | 12/13 | Consistent with Band 79 across both Speaking and Listening (Repeat Sentence scores both skills). |
Note: Repeat Sentence contributes to BOTH your Speaking score (via Content, Oral Fluency, Pronunciation) AND your Listening score (Content is a listening comprehension check). That is why 10 to 12 items appear per test – it is one of the highest-leverage task types in the whole exam.
6 common Repeat Sentence mistakes
The failure modes that drag a Band 79 to a Band 65.
| Mistake | What it costs you |
|---|---|
| Trying to write the sentence during playback | Content drops sharply. You physically cannot write and hold 15+ words in working memory at the same time. Notes are for Retell Lecture, not Repeat Sentence. |
| Repeating only the last 4 to 5 words | Content is scored word-by-word. Half a sentence usually scores 1 out of 3 on Content, which caps the whole item's marks. |
| Starting to speak before the audio ends | The recorder is not live during the audio. Anything you say before the status box turns to 'Recording' is not captured. You lose the first 1 to 2 seconds of your take. |
| Waiting too long after the audio ends | Oral Fluency drops for every second of dead air before you start. The recording begins the moment the audio ends – start speaking within 1 second. |
| Restarting when you fumble a word | Fluency loses points for every restart. Push through even if a word slips – a partial correct sentence scores better than a restarted broken one. |
| Reading the transcript that appears on screen | There is NO transcript on screen for Repeat Sentence – unlike Read Aloud. If you go looking for text, you have already missed the audio. |
FAQ
Repeat Sentence, answered.
How is PTE Repeat Sentence scored?
Three traits per the July 2025 PTE Academic Score Guide: Content (0 to 3), Oral Fluency (0 to 5) and Pronunciation (0 to 5). Content is scored on how many words you repeat verbatim in the correct order. Oral Fluency and Pronunciation are AI-only – Repeat Sentence is not one of the 7 hybrid-scored task types. Maximum raw score per item is 13.
How many Repeat Sentence items are on the PTE Academic test?
10 to 12 items per test per Pearson's July 2025 Score Guide. That is more than any other Speaking task type, so Repeat Sentence has an outsized influence on your Speaking score and (because it also scores Listening) on your Listening score.
How long is the audio for Repeat Sentence?
3 to 9 seconds per item per Pearson's Score Guide. Most items land in the 5 to 8 second window, which is 12 to 22 words. There is no visual, no chart, and no preparation time – the audio just plays and the recorder starts immediately after.
Is there a tone or beep before the recording starts on Repeat Sentence?
No. Repeat Sentence and Answer Short Question are the two recording tasks in Part 1 that have NO tone. The status box just switches from countdown to 'Recording' when the audio ends and you should begin speaking within 1 second. All other recording tasks in Part 1 (Read Aloud, Describe Image, Retell Lecture, Summarize Group Discussion, Respond to a Situation) do play a short beep. (Note: since 7 August 2025, Answer Short Question is scored on Listening only, not Speaking.)
What happens if I only remember half the sentence?
Say the half you remember, at natural pace, in the correct grammatical structure. Content is scored word-by-word, so partial credit is possible. Silence or an unrelated filler sentence scores 0 on Content, which zeros the whole item. A half-sentence delivered fluently scores better than a full sentence stammered and restarted.
How can I improve my Repeat Sentence memory?
Train chunking – the habit of grouping words into 3 to 6 word breath units as you hear them, rather than trying to hold every word individually. Practice with 15 to 20 word academic sentences at 150 wpm. Over 4 to 6 weeks most candidates can lift their reliable memory span from ~10 words to ~18 words. This is the single highest-leverage speaking skill in the exam.
Keep going with Repeat Sentence
One pattern, three depths.
You've just read the band 79 worked example. Here's the rest of the loop for this task.
Further reading
Related tools.
- → Repeat Sentence guide – task overview and free practice drills.
- → Read Aloud sample – the sibling speaking task with a prep window.
- → Speaking section overview – all speaking task types.
- → Take a free scored mock – real Repeat Sentence items with AI scoring.